Mussorgsky Boris Godunov opera to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2013 by Calixto Bieito at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Stars Alexander Tsymbalyuk, Yulia Sokolik, Eri Nakamura, Heike Grötzinger, Gerhard Siegel, Markus Eiche, Anatoli Kotscherga, Sergey Skorokhodov, Vladimir Matorin, Ulrich Reß, Kevin Conners, and Goran Juric. Kent Nagano conducts the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and the Chor der Bayerischen Staatsoper Lighting by Michael Bauer; sets by Rebecca Ringst; costumes by Ingo Krügler; dramaturgy by Andrea Schönhofer. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreVerdi Messa da Requiem. Recorded 2012 at the Teatro alla Scala. Daniel Barenboim conducts the Orchestra and Coro del Teatro alla Scala (Chorus Master Bruno Casoni). Soloists are Anja Harteros (soprano), Elīna Garanča (mezzo-soprano), Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), and René Pape (bass). Directed for TV by Andy Sommer; director of photography was Martial Barrault; sound engineer was Rodrigue Durand. Sung in Latin. There are, however, no subtitles in Latin, nor is there a printed libretto in the keepcase booklet. Subtitles are translated into English, French, and German. Released 2013, sound was recorded at 48kHz/24-bit and disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: B
Read MoreHenry Purcell Dido and Aeneas opera to a libretto by Nahum Tate. Directed 2008 by Deborah Warner at the Paris Opéra Comique. Stars Malena Ernman (Dido), Christopher Maltman (Aeneas), Judith Van Wanroij (Belinda), Hilary Summers (Sorceress), Lina Markeby (Second Woman), Céline Ricci (First Witch), Ana Quintans (Second Witch), Damian Whiteley (Sailor), and Marc Mauilon (Spirit). Fiona Shaw speaks the Prologue. William Christie conducts Les Arts Florissants Orchestra and Choir (Chorus Master François Bazola). Sets and costumes by Chloé Obolensky; lighting by Jean Kalman; directed for TV by François Roussillon; produced by Tony Hajal and David Kulas. Sung in English; subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreBeethoven Symphonies 1-3 concert. Mariss Jansons conducts the Symphonieorchester and Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony and Chorus). Peter Dijkstra was Chorus Master. Hisao Tonooka was TV director. Performed 2012 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Also features bonus documentary Mariss Jansons rehearses Beethoven. Released 2016, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: C
Read MoreBeethoven Symphonies 4-6 concert. Mariss Jansons conducts the Symphonieorchester and Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony and Chorus). Peter Dijkstra was Chorus Master. Hisao Tonooka was TV director. Performed 2012 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Released 2016, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: C
Read MoreBeethoven Symphonies 7-9 concert. Mariss Jansons conducts the Symphonieorchester and Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony and Chorus). Peter Dijkstra was Chorus Master. Hisao Tonooka was TV director. Performed 2012 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo. Features soloists Christiane Karg (Soprano), Mihoko Fujimura (Mezzo-Soprano), Michael Schade (Tenor), and Michael Volle (Baritone). Released 2016, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: C
Read MoreThe Beethoven Symphonies has all 9 symphonies performed by the Symphonieorchester and Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (Bavarian Radio Symphony and Chorus). Mariss Jansons conducted this in 2012 at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and Peter Dijkstra was Chorus Master. Soloists are Christiane Karg (soprano), Mihoko Fujimura (alto), Michael Schade (tenor), and Michael Volle (bass). Title has 3 discs, each with 3 symphonies, plus a bonus. TV Director was Hisao Tonooka. Released 2013, discs have 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C
Read MoreJean-Baptiste Lully Armide opera to libretto by Philippe Quinault. Directed 2008 by Robert Carsen at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. Stars Stéphanie d'Oustrac (Armide), Paul Agnew (Renaud), Claire Debono (Glory, Phénice, and Lucinde), Isabelle Druet (Sagacity, Sidone, and Mélisse), Laurent Naouri (Hatred), Nathan Berg (Hidraot), Marc Mauillon (Ubalde and Aronte), Marc Callahan (Artémidore), Andrew Tortise (a Danish knight), Virginie Thomas (the nymph) and Anders J. Dahlin, Francesca Boncompagni, and Violaine Lucas (other demons in disguise). William Christie conducts the orchestra and choir of Les Arts Florissants. Mise en scène and direction by Robert Carsen; set and costumes by Gideon Davey; choreography by Jean-Claude Gallotta; lighting by Robert Carsen and Peter Van Praet; television direction by François Roussillon; produced by Tony Hajal and David Kulas. There is a bonus extra with excellent discussion of the production by Carsen, Christie and others. Released 2010, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A
Read MoreRossini Le Comte Ory opera to libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson. Directed 2009 by Lluis Pasqual at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro. Stars Yijie Shi (Le Comte Ory), Maria José Moreno (La Comtesse Adèle), Lorenzo Regazzo (Le Gouverneur), Laura Polverelli (Isolier), Roberto de Candia (Raimbaud), Natalia Gavrilan (Dame Ragonde), and Rinnat Moriah (Alice). Paolo Carignani conducts the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and the Prague Chamber Choir (Chorus Master Lubomir Mátl). Video directed by Tiziano Mancini. Sung in French with subtitles in French and 6 other languages. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreBrahms Symphonies 1-4 box set. Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden.
Symphonies 1 and 3 were recorded 2013 at NHK Hall in Tokyo with video directed by Yoko Ishida. Symphonies 2 and 4 were recorded 2013 in Dresden. Henning Kasten directed the video for Symphony 2 and Andreas Morell directed the video for Symphony 4. Disc set has 208 minutes of music and a 52-minute bonus documentary, Discovering Brahms, with Thielemann discussing the symphonies. The documentary, directed by Christoph Engel, is in German and has subtitles in English, Japanese, and Korean. Two disc set was released 2014, and each recording has 5.0. or 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreSleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance dance production by Matthew Bourne. Music by Tchaikovsky. This is a complete rewriting by Matthew Bourne of the libretto and choreography of the classic Sleeping Beauty. Dancers include Edwin Ray (King Benedict), Kerry Biggin (Queen Eleanor), Hannah Vassallo (Princess Aurora), Dominic North (Leo), Christopher Marney (Count Lilac), Adam Maskell (Carabosse/Caradoc), Mari Kamata (Ardor), Katy Lowenhoff (Hibernia), Joe Walkling (Autumnus), Sophia Hurdley (Feral), Liam Mower (Tantrum), Daniel Collins (Lord Rupert), Danny Reubens (Viscount Aubrey), Daisy May Kemp (Miss Maddox), Nicole Kabera (Flossie), Leon Moran (Archie), and Luke Murphy (Bertie) with Pia Driver, Phil Jack Gardner, Tom Jackson Greaves, Kate Lyons, Ashley Shaw and Chris Trenfield. Brett Morris conducts The Sleeping Beauty Orchestra (Leader Gina McCormack). Sets and costumes by Lez Brotherston; lighting by Paule Constable; sound design by Paul Groothuis. Associate Director was Etta Murfitt; Associate Choreographer was Christopher Marney; Music Producer was Terry Davies. Directed for TV by Ross MacGibbon; Executive Producers were Todd Austin and Robert Noble. Producer was Fiona Morris. The dance theater (Bourne's term) runs 158 minutes; there is also a bonus documentary that runs 52 minutes called Imagine---A Beauty is Born: Matthew Bourne's 'Sleeping Beauty'. The keepcase booklet has an especially nice discussion of the piece by Bourne (English only). Released 2013, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound.
This new Bourne work played on stage starting December 2012 in London, and then went on tour. Robert Greskovic, perhaps the best-known dance critic in the U.S., saw this live in October 2013 in New York. He wrote a favorable review in the Wall Street Journal on October 30 stating that this Sleeping Beauty is "a prime example of the British choreographer's imagination and originality."
Deutsche Grammophon published this, and they limit their brand (we always thought) strictly to fine-art material. Still, it appears this is being marketed not as a fine-arts title, but as a fantasy movie. There was initially something wild and crazy about the pricing of this product. So shop around. Grade: B+
Read MoreBenjamin Britten The Turn of the Screw chamber opera to a libretto by Myfanwy Piper based on the novella by Henry James. Directed 2011 by Jonathan Kent at Glyndebourne. Stars Miah Persson (Governess), Toby Spence (Quint), Thomas Parfitt (Miles), Joanna Songi (Flora), Susan Bickley (Mrs. Grose), and Giselle Allen (Miss Jessel). Jakub Hrůša conducts members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Leader Pieter Schoeman). Design by Paul Brown; lighting design by Paul Henderson; sound supervision by Jean Chatauret; music produced by Sébastian Chonion. Directed for TV by François Roussillon; produced by George Bruell and Toni Hajal. Sung in English. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-
Read MoreRoman Zaslavsky plays Ingenious Opposites, Volume 2 piano recital. Produced by Dieter E. Gross and Sabine Grohmann with assistant David Tsitskishvili; editing by Anja Beusterien; mastered by Ki Music; photography by Julian P. Gross; design by Tilman Reitzle. Run time for the 10 pieces performed on the disc is 63 minutes. No information is given with the product about the dates of the recordings. Released 2013, disc has 4.0 LPCM sound. Grade: D
Read MoreWagner: Kaufmann Sings concert. Christian Thielemann conducts the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Sächsischer Stattsopernchor Dresden for a night of Wagner works. Recorded 2013 at the Semperoper, Dresden. Jonas Kaufmann sings Wagner tenor scenes. The following music is performed:
Hans Werner Henze: Fraternité (In honor of the death of Henze in October 2012)
Der fliegende Holländer: Overture
Faust Overture, WWV59
Rienzi: "Allmächt'ger Vater, blick herab!" (Rienzi's prayer)
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 1
Lohengrin: "In fernem Land" (Grail narration)
Tannhäuser: "Inbrunst im Herzen" (Rome narration)
Tannhäuser: Overture (Entrance of the guests at the Wartburg)
You don't see the title "Wagner: Kaufmann Sings" on the keepcase cover. But that's the name C Major uses in their PR, so that's what we will call it for now. Directed for TV by Michael Beyer. Sung in German. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: NA
Read MoreWagner Siegfried to a libretto by the composer. Directed 2012 by Guy Cassiers at Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Stars Lance Ryan (Siedfried), Peter Bronder (Mime), Terje Stensvold (The Wanderer), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Alberich), Anna Larsson (Erda), Nina Stemme (Brünnhilde), and Rinnat Moriah (Waldvogels). Daniel Barenboim conducts the Orchestra of the Teatro Alla Scala. Set design by Guy Cassiers; set and lighting design by Enrico Bagnoli; costume design by Tim van Steenbergen; video design by Arjen Klerkx and Kurt D'Haeseleer; choreography by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; directed for TV by Emanuele Garafalo. Released 2014, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio. Grade: NA
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